Author:

12731

Plan

It was a warm summer day under the weeping willow tree. The air smelled like fresh cut grass, animals, and sweat all mixed together. The Wild Scavengers Detective Agency members were relaxing as they waited for their next case. Little did they know that they were about to get a strange visitor with a very interesting mystery to solve. In a week, their sucess would be all over the papers, that a bunch of 7 year olds solved the murder of a woman named Melinda. I wouldn’t be there to see it.

I was sitting in my room, following mom’s rule #1... don’t bother her when she was having a phone conversation. She’d been at it for an hour, with no signs of letting up, but I had always been terrified of breaking the rules, and disgusted in myself on the rare occasion when I did. The last rule I had broken was three years ago. Now I had survived to make it to 10th grade, high school, with the cleanest record they would ever see.

The birds were chirping, and for once, on this sweltering day, even the bad kids were taking a breather in the shade. I always avoided those kids, because of the bad influence they could have potentially. First, stealing candy. Next thing you know, you could be robbing the bank!

Those kids narrowed their eyes into slits as I, the infamous “goody two-shoes” passed. My fear of rule-breaking was almost legendary in this small town, where everyone knew everything about everybody. I walked past them as quick as possible, and they went back to whatever the tough ones felt like doing.

They had no idea that I was about to join their ranks.

It all started the day Kasey and Michelle brought brownies and a dare to my house.

“ Here, have a brownie, Mrs. Purple.” Kasey said in her sweetest voice to my mom. Then the two of them handed it to her and skipped to my small but creatively decorated room. I had made the curtains, and the lamp shade myself, and paint splattered what used to be my plain Jane white walls in neon hues. I wouldn’t change a thing. I was even planning on making a mural on one wall this weekend. Painting was my favorite thing to do, I loved the brushstrokes even more then I loved to run. Running, legs pumping and arms swinging, gave me my healthy rush of adrenaline.

Michelle closed the door with a cringe worthy squeak. Kasey shuddered and turned towards me. She leaned her jean short clad leg on my wall, shoes still on. I wanted to tell her to take them off.

“ This,” she closed the shutters, “ is what you might call a life intervention.” Kasey locked the door. I was beginning to get scared. Kasey was known to do some crazy things, like swipe the answer key to the math test, and announce the answers on the P.A while the Dean was on coffee break. But Michelle I wasn’t as worried about. She was quiet and shy, and played violin and piano. But she was my best friend because if you got to know her, she was actually a really fun, kind person.

“ An intervention?” I said, “ I never do anything bad, Kasey, and you know it. What are you talking about?” I knew I had her. But she was shaking her head.

“ You’re right, Dana. And that’s exactly why we’re here. You never do anything exciting or bold or dangerous, and that’s because you’re too scared. All you’re proving is that you’re terrified of the real world, that you’re afraid of having a little bit of almost harmless fun.”

“ I don’t like where you’re going with this.” I folded my arms, but listened carefully.

“ We are going to go to school at midnight, and take the principal’s weird creepy bobble head from his desk. It should be taken away anyways, for the good of us all. You’ll be helping the future of the school even when we’re out of it. Unless you want us to always know that you’re too chicken do something that will be written down in our school’s history. No one would remember how you always brought two sharpened pencils to class. But they will remember if you just come with us.” Kasey smiled. I noticed Michelle wasn’t doing the talking.

I just stared at her blankly. They want me to nab the bobble head our principal, Mr. Smith obsessed over, for recognition?! Breaking the rules was a major problem in our school. How could I contribute to such an unworthy cause?

“ I don’t want to do it alone, Dana.” I heard Michelle say quietly. I weighed it. Michelle couldn’t survive Juvy if she was caught. I had my friends to think about, too now.

“ Michelle, you don’t have to break the rules at all. We could have a sleepover tonight instead and rent a movie while eating the brownies. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? Come on, Michelle, I know you love it.” That was I lie. I had exactly zero clue. I was starting to question how well I really knew my so-called friends.

“ I haven’t even read the book, the movie will just be a spoiler. Plus, Harry Potter is for the younger kids. I-I agree with Kasey. I want to be popular. I want to do this.” Michelle said. All the while, Kasey was grinning smugly, like a cat who had eaten a bird. And she had.

“ Yes,” I said, “ I’ll do it. Pick me up at midnight.” I stated in defeat. I knew that I would come to regret my choice, and boy, was I right.